Business update: E-Trade says goodbye baby, hello Kevin Spacey

Online investor site E-Trade has the Oscar-winning actor and star of the Netflix series "House of Cards" Kevin Spacey to tout its online investor site. Spacey will be part of the company's new "Type E" marketing campaign, which focuses on its mobile app and advisory services.

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Wellington Daily News - Wellington, KS

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Posted Apr. 7, 2014 at 5:00 PM

Posted Apr. 7, 2014 at 5:00 PM

The Associated Press

Online investor site E-Trade has the Oscar-winning actor and star of the Netflix series "House of Cards" Kevin Spacey to tout its online investor site. Spacey will be part of the company's new "Type E" marketing campaign, which focuses on its mobile app and advisory services.

In the first ad of the campaign which began running Saturday, a range of city workers from a doctor to an amateur basketball player sing a song about being "Type E," or investing with E-Trade.

"I can do it all from my mobile phone, I'm Type E," sing the characters in the spot. "If I need some help, I'm not alone."

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A second phase of the campaign launching later in April will feature Spacey as an E-Trade scout looking for "Type E" people.

"In thinking about the 'Type E' personality, few could capture that spirit better than Kevin Spacey," said chief marketing officer Liza Landsman, citing his work in "House of Cards," as high-quality online content that changed the way Americans watch TV.

E-Trade began its "talking baby" campaign in 2008 during the Super Bowl, at a time when online investing was not as common. Having a talking baby trade stocks was a way to show people that E-Trade's investing services were so simple even a baby could make money trading stock on the site. But now, since online investing is so common, the company wanted to focus on its range of product and service offerings.

"Our goal is to stay in lock-step with our customers; helping them with their retirement, investing and trading goals, in a manner of their choosing," said President Navtej S. Nandra.